Water heater



June 4, 1929.

' WATER HEATER Filed Oct. 25, 1927 @gai O. VON ZSOLNAY ET AL 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS B A l ATTORNEY June 4, 1929. o. voN zsoLNAY ET AL Y 1,716,021

WATER HEATER Filed oct. 25, 1927 2 sheets-sheet 2 @mgm we//n d am.

BY V n Ma@ www@ Patented June 4, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO voN ZSOLNAY, CHARLES COQUELIN, AND WILLIAM SCHULZ, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

WATER HEATER.

Application filed Gctober 25, 1927.

This invention relates to electric water heaters and has for its main object to provide a construction that can be used in homes for heating water in bath tubs or the like.

Another object is to provide means for controlling the electric heater.

1With these and other objects in View our invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification and in which similar reference characters denote corresponding parts, Fig. 1 is an elevation of a container of which a part is broken out, the heater proper being shown therein in vertical section; Fig. 2 is a sectional front view of the container and of the heater therein, Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of parts of the electric heating unit and Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view ofthe electric connections and the switch for controlling the heater.

Referring to the drawings more in detail7 10 denotes a boiler shaped housing adapted to be suitably fixed to or suspend from the wall near a basin or bath tub. Suitably supported in this housing7 as.on standards or posts 11, is a waterproof water receptacle 12 of suitable shape, which at its bottom is connected to a cold water supply pipe 13 projecting outwardly through the housing and having an ordinary water cock or valve 13". Leading from the receptacle 12 outwardly through the housing is a hot water discharge pipe 14.- which may terminate in a pipe 14a. ln the present example pipe 14:a has branches, of which one may lead to the bath tub and the ther to the shower.

The electric heater proper comprises a number of electrodes, preferably made of carbon elements 15 inform of blocks or the like which are suitably joined to form a single rigid body, the individual elements of said body being spaced apart and suitably insulated from one another. To this end according to the present example the individual blocks are tightened by bolts 16 carrying at their ends nuts 16a and passed through perforations 15 provided in the upper ends of said blocks. Mounted on said bolts are insulation sleeves 17 and insulation plates 17a, the latter serving as spacers between the individual elements. This heating unit is adapted to belsuitably supported in the housing. To this end I provide sockets 18 in the wall of the housing Serial No. 228,589.

adapted to engage the extreme ends of said bolts 16. Preferably a number of these heating elements are electrically connected to constitute one electrode. In the present example there are eleven elements shown, every other of which are permanently electrically connected as at 19 (Fig. f1), to form a single electrode. The intermediate elements are separately electrically connected to individual contact members of a switch mechanism to be presently describech so that by the manipulation of said switch the other elements may be added one by one to the permanent electrode whereby the heating capacity of the unit may be raised. In the present eXan'ip-le the switch consists of two hinged or otherwise movably connected members 207 21. The member 20, assumed to be the stationary one, may be suitably supported on the standards or posts 11 below the bottom of the receptacle l2 and is provided with a number of downwardly projecting forked contact elements 22 of different length insulated from one another. The movable member 21 consists of a plurality of tongues 23 hinged to the member as at 21' and joined together by a cross piece 24. Then swung toward the member 20 the tongues 23 will be caused to successively engage the forks 22 and thereby switch in the other carbons.

The operation of the switch may be accomplished through a hand wheel 25 arranged outside of the housing 10 and lined to a rotary shaft 26 which is suitably supported in the housing by standards or the like 27. The inner end of the shaft is formed with a crank pin 28 or the like which by a rod 29 is operatively connected to the member 21, as at 2W. Thus by turning the hand wheel 25 in one direction the member 21 will be swung to cause its tongues 23 to successively engage the forks 22 of the member 20.

The electric connections between the switch and the heating elements are as follows. One of the end elements of the permanent electrode is electrically connected to the longest fork or contact piece as at 30, while the intermediate members are electrically connected te the corresponding forks as at 30, 30", etc. (Fig. t). One of the lead-in wires 31 is connected to the series of tongues 23 as at 31 while the other lead-in wire 32 is connected to a terminal 33 carried by and adapted to project through the lid lO into the receptacle 12. There is no electric current owng through the carbons before theiry immersion in water. When water is allowed to flow through the receptacle the same circulates through the spaces between the carbons 12 and being a good conductor of electricity it will close the electric circuit. The electric current will flow from one pole of the electric source (not shown) through the carbon elements that by the manipulation oi' the switch may have been connected to form one electrode, then through the water to the terminal 33 and thence back to the opposite pole of the electric source. Y

rlhe heat generated by the current flowing through the carbons rapidly heats the water as the latter circulates through the receptacle 12.

In experimenting with this heater we have found the same to be very efiicient and advantageous orheating water in bath tubs or the like.

Since various modilicationsmay be made in Y the construction without departing from the spirit of our invention, we do not wish to limit ourselves to the details described and shown.

wWhat we claim is l. An electric water heater comprising a water receptacle, having a water` supply pipe and al water discharge pipe, an electric heating unit composed o a number of conductors rigidly connected together to a single body and whose individual conductors are insulated and spaced apart, anv electric switch for establishing electric connections between said individual conductors successively and one pole of an electric source and conductive means adapted to be connected to the other pole of said source and spaced apart from said electrodes by the water contained in and circulating through said receptacle, the water being adapted to close the circuit between the two poles and manuallly actuated means outside said receptacle for actuating said switch.

2. An electric water heater, comprising a water receptacle having a water supplypipe and a water discharge pipe, an electric heating unit supported in said receptacle and composed of a number of carbon conductors spaced apart and insulated from one another, an electric switch for establishing electric connection between said individual carbons and one pole of an electric source, said switch having graduated contact members to succes'- sively add carbon conductors inthe circuit, a

conductor in said receptacle separated from said cai-bons and an electric connection between said conductor and the other pole of the electric source, the circuit being closed by the wat-er separating said conductor from said cai-bons and circulating through t-he receptacle.

3. An electric water heater comprising a housing adapted to be supported on the wall, a water receptacle supported therein and having a water supply pipe and water discharge leading through said housing, an electric heating unit supported in said receptacle and composed of a number of carbon conductors spaced apart and insulated :from one another, an electric switch for establishing electric connection between said individual carbone and one pole of an electric source, said switch having graduated' contact members to successively add carbon conductors in the circuit, a conductor in said receptacle separated from said carbons and an electric connection between said conductor and the other pole of the electric source, the circuit being closed by the water separating said conductor from said carbons and circulating through the receptacle, and manually actuated means outside of said housing for operating said switch.

4. In an electrical water heater the combination of a water receptacle having a water supply pipe and a water discharge pipe, with an electric heating unit composed of a number or" individual conductors rigidly connected together and insulated from one another,

a portion of said conductors being connected in parallel electrically and to aV single contact member of a switch having graduated contact members, each one of the remaining conductors being connected to one oi the other contact members on said switch, whereby successive conductors may be added in the circuit, a switch closing member having spaced prongs for engagement with the Contact members and connected to one pole of an electric ower source conductive means ada ted to be P a connected to the other pole of said source and spaced apart from said unit, and manually actuated means outside said water receptacle for operating said switch.

In testimony whereof we atlix our signatures.

J OTTO voN ZSOLNAY.

CHARLES CGQUELN. YILLIAM SCHULZ. 

